


i broke all my bones (that day i found you)

by sunnylemonss



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Ace Willie, Fluff, Gen, Meet-Cute, No beta we die like Sunset Curve, mild bakery au, uhh i'll update the tags as we go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28639179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnylemonss/pseuds/sunnylemonss
Summary: Honestly, Alex was surprised that he was even able to hold a coherent conversation with the gorgeous skater boy. At first he was irritated that he had been run over, but then he saw who did it and all bad feelings went out the window. It’s impossible to deny Willie’s attractiveness, what with the flowing brown hair and big doe eyes. And yeah, okay, maybe telling a stranger your place of work and your work schedule is a bad idea, but Alex’s phone is dead, otherwise he totally would’ve asked for the other boy’s number.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby Wilson/Reggie Peters (background), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson (Background)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 107





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so my post on tumblr blew up wayyy more than I thought it would, so here we are! This is a very very mild bakery au (meaning Alex works in a bakery but there won't actually be that many scenes in the bakery)
> 
> Title from "Line Without a Hook" by Ricky Montgomery 
> 
> (tw: blood)

Willie really should be paying attention to his surroundings.

In his defense, it’s nearing 8 pm and the sidewalks are pretty empty. He’d been skating up and down 3rd street for the better part of an hour, and had only  _ nearly _ collided with three people (and it was their fault anyways). 

This time is purely his fault. One second he’s lost in his thoughts, picking up speed as he heads back up the street, and the next he’s slamming into another person and they’re both falling.

Willie lands on his back next to the mystery person with a small “oof.”  He lays there for a second, catching his breath, but quickly sits up and checks his board for damages. “Aw man, you dinged my board!” 

“I dinged your board? Dude, you dinged my  _ face _ ,” came the reply.

At that, Willie looks up and  _ oh _ . 

Oh this guy is  _ cute _ . He has gorgeous blue eyes and the prettiest blond hair that’s practically glowing in the light of the setting sun. He was dressed in a pink hoodie, black jeans, worn gray converse, and a small backpack was lying next to him, clearly knocked off his shoulder because of Willie’s carelessness. 

And he’s bleeding from a cut above his left eyebrow.  _ Shit. _

Realizing he’s staring, and that he caused this angel to bleed, Willie scrambles up and sticks out his hand. The boy grabs it and Willie helps him up, the physical contact breaking him out of his stupor. 

“Oh my God I’m so sorry, are you okay? Of course you aren’t, you’re  _ bleeding _ holy shit hang on I think I might have a band-aid somewhere in one of my pockets let me look oh God I’m so freaking sorry I wasn’t watching where I was going I-”

He’s cut off from his rambling by Cute Guy’s soft laughter. Willie looks up from where he’s searching his pockets for a band-aid ( _ he knows he has one somewhere where did it go this is an emergency _ ) and is once again caught off guard by how attractive Cute Guy is, especially now that he’s smiling.  _ I’m so freaking gay,  _ he thought to himself.

“It’s okay dude, really. I should’ve been watching where I was walking. No hard feelings whatsoever,” Cute Guy says with a smile, running a hand through his hair.

“Actually this is all on me, but can we get back to that fact that you’re  _ bleeding _ and I messed up your pretty face?”  _ Okay Willie don’t be creepy, I didn’t raise you this way. _

Cute Guy just smiles, wiping away some blood and tentatively poking at the wound. “It’s alright man, it doesn’t even hurt. Head wounds are just really dramatic and bleed a lot, I promise I’ll be okay. Are you good, though? We both hit the ground pretty hard.” 

“Me? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t even break any bones this time,” Willie jokes. Cute Guy laughs again, and damn, that was becoming Willie’s favorite sound. “I’m Willie, by the way,” he says, giving an awkward wave.

“Alex,” Cute Guy replies with a chuckle. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Willie echoes. 

_ Now what do I do? Should I ask for his number? Is that acceptable? Would that be weird? I did just pancake him,  _ he wondered.  _ Ah screw it, ask. _

Before he could, Cute Guy-- _ Alex _ \--speaks up. “Hey, as lovely as this has been, I’m kinda about to be late for something, so I’ll catch you later?” Willie tries not to be disappointed. It doesn’t work. 

“Oh yeah, for sure. Sorry again about your face and everything,” he says with a smile that hopefully doesn’t look too forced. 

Alex beams back at him and points to the building they had crashed in front of: Golden Hour Bakery.  _ Huh, must be new. _ “I work here weekdays from 4 to 8, and weekends from 8 to 10, if you want to stop by sometime,” he offers. 

Willie’s smile is real this time, and he nods. “Yeah, yeah sounds good. I guess I’ll catch you later, pretty boy” he says with a wink.  _ Wait, was that creepy?? _

Alex blushes furiously, and, grabbing his backpack off the ground, takes a few steps backwards. “I, uh, see you around, skater boy.” As he turns around, Willie thinks he can hear himmutter something like “that was stupid, was that really the best you could come up with? c’mon dude,” but he couldn’t be sure.

Smiling to himself, Willie grabs his board and heads the opposite direction with a bounce in his step. See you around, indeed.

. . .

Alex cannot stop smiling like an idiot, even as his eyebrow wound sends small shocks of pain and little dribbles of blood into his eye. Okay, so maybe he lied when he said it didn’t hurt, but hey. There was a  _ very _ attractive boy talking to him and Alex is a hopeless gay, so can he really be blamed for trying to act tough?

Honestly, Alex was surprised that he was even able to hold a coherent conversation with the gorgeous skater boy. At first he was irritated that he had been run over, but then he saw who did it and all bad feelings went out the window. It’s impossible to deny Willie’s attractiveness, what with the flowing brown hair and big doe eyes. And yeah, okay, maybe telling a stranger your place of work and your work schedule is a bad idea, but Alex’s phone is dead, otherwise he totally would’ve asked for the other boy’s number. 

Alex wiped some blood from his eye, and, still grinning like a love-struck fool, walked into the Molina’s garage (fifteen minutes late for band practice, much to Luke’s annoyance). “Dude, where have you been?” 

“Yeah man, you’re almost never late. You good?” Reggie added.

“Thank you, Reggie, for caring about my well-being. Sorry guys, I just got caught up at the bakery and then some dude on a skateboard ran into me,” he explains. “What’re we starting with?”

Before either guitarist could reply, Julie bursts in, Bobby on her heels. “Okay good, Alex is here, let’s get started.”

“Oh so when I’m late, it’s a big deal, but when Julie is late, everything is fine? This is homophobia.” Alex says jokingly as he makes his way towards his drum kit, dropping his backpack on the floor next to it. 

“You’re not the only queer person in the room, Alex, get over yourself” Bobby laughs, pressing a kiss to Reggie’s temple and flopping on the couch. 

Alex was so tempted to throw a drumstick at him. “Okay, rude. Well, I’m the only single person here, so this is single-person phobia. And, Bobby, no offense, but why are you here?” 

Bobby pouts and crosses his arms. “What, I can’t support my boyfriend and hang out with my friends? You wound me, drummer boy.”

Alex opened his mouth to fire back a retort when Luke cuts in from where he was talking to Julie. “Guys, guys, find some chill. I have a great idea for a new song and I think you guys are gonna really like it, so can we focus for, like, ten minutes? Please?” 

Alex and Bobby look at each other, both suppressing smiles, and nod, shooting a thumbs-up at Luke.

“Okay, that was creepy, kindly never do that again” Julie says as she settles behind the piano.

“Agreed. Babe, I love you, and Alex, I love you, but that was so disturbing to watch,” Reggie remarks, plucking at the strings of his bass. Alex and Bobby exchange amused grins before focusing.

“Alright, whatever, let’s do this,” Alex said, pushing his hair out of his eyes. 

“Okay,” Luke starts, “so I was thinking it would start with-”

“Oh my God Alex are you bleeding?” Julie interrupts, and everyone’s eyes snap over to Alex. “What happened? Why didn’t you say anything? We’ve talked about speaking up when you’re hurt!” She shoots a pointed glare at Reggie, who holds his hands up in defense. 

“Yeah bro, you didn’t mention you got hurt when you said a dude ran you over,” Luke says, eyes filled with worry as he set his guitar down and made his way over to Alex; Reggie and Bobby right behind him. 

“Someone RAN YOU OVER?? Alex, I’m going to murder you in your sleep,” Julie threatens, and Alex holds his hands up in an attempt to calm her down. “I really think that murdering me is going to cause more damage. And besides, it was just a dude on a skateboard, and it’s just a tiny cut, I’m totally fine!” He grins innocently up at Julie, but she really isn’t having it. “Move your hair out of the way, I need to make sure you didn’t get gravel or anything in it.” Alex sighs and does as he was told, shifting uncomfortably as Julie gets way too close to his face. He turns pleading eyes to the other boys, but they just give him stern looks, so Alex sits and endures the mildly painful poking and prodding. Luckily, he had stopped actively bleeding, but the dried blood tugged his skin uncomfortably. 

After a few moments, Julie tsks and takes a step back, crossing her arms. “What’s the status, Dr. Molina? Am I going to die?” Julie’s lips quirk before she schools her expression. “Only by my hands. You’re fine--do not interrupt me, Alexander--but go wash the blood of your face.” 

“You big disgrace” their spectators add, unhelpfully. Alex shoots them a dirty look as he makes his way to the garage bathroom, pointedly tuning out the sound of their laughter and high-fives. Pushing his hair out of the way, Alex takes a second to examine the wound. It does look pretty bad: there’s dried blood smeared pretty much all around his eye. He sighs and turns on the water to scrub the blood off. When he returns, everyone is at their respective instrument (and couch), so he makes his way back behind his drums. He looks over at Julie, and she smiles and makes a heart with her hands. Alex rolls his eyes with a grin and sends her a heart back.

“Alright guys, now can we start?”


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willie reached Golden Hour Bakery about fifteen minutes before closing time, but spent ten minutes of that time pacing outside and wondering if it was actually a good idea to go in. On one had, he barely knew Alex, and they had only met two days before under, admittedly, embarrassing circumstances. On the other, he really wanted to get to know the other boy. They say first impressions are everything, and Willie desperately wanted a do-over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry it's been...a minute. I've been super busy with school and life and then I lost all motivation but here I am! A whole chapter of some soft Willex (plus Bobby). You're welcome.
> 
> I've upped the rating to teen, because they're teenage boys and they swear.

Willie reached Golden Hour Bakery about fifteen minutes before closing time, but spent ten minutes of that time pacing outside and wondering if it was actually a good idea to go in. On one hand, he barely knew Alex, and they had only met two days before under, admittedly, embarrassing circumstances. On the other, he _really_ wanted to get to know the other boy. They say first impressions are everything, and Willie desperately wanted a do-over. 

Willie stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the sidewalk, probably looking like a complete idiot, and huffed out a sigh, blowing away strands of hair that had come out of his bun. He shook out his hands and steeled himself for the embarrassment that would come if Alex wasn’t actually there, and opened the door to walk inside the bakery. 

His senses are immediately assaulted: the cute chime of the bell above the door, the soft, warm, inviting lighting, and the heavenly smell of various baked goods. 

Standing behind the counter, back turned to the rest of the room, was a boy with dark hair and red suspenders who was definitely _not_ Alex. Well, dammit, he had tried. Before he could leave, though, the boy turned around and noticed him. Willie could practically see the light die in his eyes when he realized he had a customer five minutes before closing, but the boy smiled anyway. “What can I help you with?” Willie twisted the black ring around his middle finger nervously as he stepped closer to the counter. “I’m, uh, looking for Alex? He said I could find him here but now I’m kinda worried I’m in the wrong place and this is really embarrassing for me and I’m too awkward to be allowed out in public and oh shoot now you’re laughing at me.” The boy was trying his best to smother his laughter in his hand, but his giggles still filled the room. “You must be Willie, then,” he finally got out. Willie nodded, biting his lip and trying to ignore the blush that was coloring his face. The boy giggled one last time before gathering himself and smiling, more genuine this time, “I’m Bobby,” he said. “Nice to meet you.” Willie gave an awkward thumbs up. “You too.” 

Bobby snorted and gestured to the swinging doors behind him. “Alex is back there, finishing up some cinnamon rolls for tomorrow, but I’ll let him know you’re here.” Willie nodded and Bobby disappeared through the doors. The words he spoke next made Willie choke on his own spit.

“Yo, dumb-bitch mcgee, your boyfriend’s here.” There was a loud clatter and a muttered curse, followed by a sharp bark of laughter and the sound of someone being punched. Willie could hear them speaking quietly, but he couldn’t make out any words. He let his gaze wander around the shop, taking in the cutesy chalkboard sign above the counter, the random art that lined the walls, and the cozy-looking, mismatched chairs and tables that filled up the room. It was a nice place: Willie could easily imagine it filled with people working and the soft chatter of friends hanging out. 

He’s pulled from his thoughts by the reappearance of Bobby, who was pouting slightly and rubbing his left shoulder, Alex close behind him. Willie was, once again, taken aback by how ridiculously attractive he was, even if he was wearing an ugly green apron and there was flour in his hair. Alex was glaring at Bobby, but his gaze softened when his eyes met Willie’s, and his shy smile set off butterflies in his stomach. Willie beamed back at him, and Alex ducked his head, a blush dusting his cheeks. Bobby snorted. 

Willie watched with amusement as Alex shot his friend another glare, and the dark-haired boy held his hands up in defense. “Look, I’m gonna go home, and leave you two to your...whatever. Oh, before I forget, Reg told me to tell you that you can come stay with us tonight if you need to.” 

Alex raised an eyebrow. “And deal with you two horn-balls all night? Yeah, no thanks.” Bobby rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, dumbass.” Alex’s expression softened. “Yeah, I do. Thanks, man, I really appreciate it.” Bobby nodded and awkwardly patted Alex’s shoulder, and Willie couldn’t help but wonder what all...that...was about. Bobby moved away from Alex and towards the door, throwing a peace sign over his shoulder as he pushed it open. 

The bell chimed cheerfully as Bobby left, and then it was just Willie and Alex. Willie let his gaze wander around the bakery again, feeling inexplicably shy. Alex coughed lightly and Willie looked over at him, blushing. “Hi,” he said softly. 

Alex grinned. “Hey. I just have to close up, wait outside for me?” Willie nodded and took one last look around the bakery before going outside and waiting on the sidewalk. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, resisting the urge to whistle like some sort of cartoon character. Alex appeared shortly, apron gone, a backpack was slung over one shoulder, and flour still dusting his hair. Willie waited as Alex locked the door to the bakery and checked the lock, then tucked the keys carefully into his backpack. He turned to Willie with a grin, and he felt his heart flutter. 

“Hey, uh, d’you maybe wanna walk with me? My house is pretty close; just a couple of blocks away,” Alex offered. Willie ducked his head to hide his smile. “Yeah, I’d love to.” He looked up and hesitated for a second, then offered his arm, speaking with a terrible stereotypical English accent. “Shall we, good sir?” Alex’s laughter was bright and Willie wanted to play it on repeat for the rest of his life. Alex linked his arm through Willie’s and _oh._ Oh he did _not_ think this through. Alex’s arm was warm and strong where it pressed into his, and Willie suddenly realized the extent of his touch-starvedness. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the sidewalk in front of them. “Lead the way.”

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Willie piped up. “So, I see your face is doing better.” Alex snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, no thanks to you,” he teased. Willie gasped in mock offense. “Hey, I apologized! Besides, chicks dig scars.” Alex shrugged. “Yeah, well, I don’t dig chicks.” Willie stopped midstep, dragging Alex to a stop next to him. Willie stared up at him and Alex shifted uncomfortably. “Is that-is that a problem?” Willie grinned. “Not at all.” He began walking again, and Alex hurried to keep up so their arms didn’t get separated. “I’m don’t, either,” Willie said after a few tense seconds. He could feel the tension drain out of his companion at his words. “Cool,” Alex said softly. “Yeah,” Willie agreed. “Cool.” 

They chatted some more as they walked, and Willie was amazed at how easy it was to talk to the other boy. It was never awkward, and he never felt pressured to keep the conversation flowing. As they walked down the street, they leapt over cracks in the sidewalk and dodged mailboxes, and Willie found himself laughing a lot more freely than he’d been able to in a long time. It was nice, being with Alex.

All too soon, they were stopping in front of a blue two-story house with a flower garden and a white picket fence. Willie raised an eyebrow. “Wow, could your house get any more cliche?” Alex gave him a look that screamed ‘help me’. “I know, right? I didn’t even think white picket fences _existed_ until we moved here.” For the umpteenth time that night, Willie found himself laughing, and he was growing quite fond of the way his laughter danced with Alex’s. 

Unfortunately, though, he had to let Alex get inside. Willie cleared his throat and did his best impression of the Google Maps voice. “You have arrived at your destination.” Alex snorted and withdrew his arm from where it was still linked with Willie’s. “Why thank you, kind sir, for making sure I got home safely.” Willie bowed dramatically. “It was my pleasure, your highness.” When he straightened (ha) up again, Alex was looking at him fondly, the light of the sinking sun setting his hair aglow. (And if he replayed that look over and over again that night as he screamed into his pillow, that’s no one’s business but his own.) He smiled back softly, and, yeah. He could see himself falling for this boy. 

Willie held out his hand with a sudden burst of confidence. “Lemme see your phone,” he demanded. “Why?” Alex asked as he pulled it out of his pocket and unlocked it, handing it over. “Don’t you think you should ask me that _before_ you give it to me?” Willie teased as he started putting in his number. He saw Alex shrug out of the corner of his eye. “I trust you.” Willie paused, blushing like crazy, before looking up again and giving the other boy his phone back. “I’ll uh, I’ll let you get inside,” he said quietly, not quite wanting to leave his presence yet. Alex nodded, glancing back at his house. He stepped closer, chewing on his bottom lip, then seemed to think better of it and took a few steps back and opened the gate. “Goodnight, Willie.” Willie bit his cheek. “Goodnight, Alex.” He watched as he closed the gate behind him and walked up the stone pathway. Alex paused at the front door and turned back. Willie waved and Alex ducked his head, disappearing inside. 

Willie took a deep breath and stuffed his hands in his pocket, exhaling sharply. He turned and headed back down the sidewalk, ready to start the long walk home. He had only taken about five steps, though, before his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and checked it as he walked. 

_Unknown Number:_ were you ever going to tell me that I had flour in my hair??

Willie grinned and added a new contact. 

_Me:_ (;

_Alex is typing…_

Willie walked all the way home with a slight skip in his step and a stupid grin, one that stayed on his face long after he arrived. It was nice to feel happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm aware that touch-starvedness isn't a real word. But I'm the author and I do what I want  
> Comments and kudos are very appreciated (:  
> Find me on a tumblr (@sunnylemonss)!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos appreciated if you liked it! (yes, I made Willie the flustered one. I'm the author, I can do that)
> 
> Find me on tumblr: @sunnylemonss


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